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Picturing the New Americans

Minneapolis, Minnesota, is home to roughly 30,000 people of Somali origin. Many of them are refugees, having fled famine and decades of war—a situation not dissimilar to that of today’s Syrian refugees. For the past year, photographer Arthur Nazaryan documented this enclave of new Americans to show that Somalis, and migrants in general, could be more than "perpetrators or victims of conflict."

The Somalis who live in Minneapolis are much like regular Minnesotans —barbecuing, riding speedboats, going to the playground, and hosting dinner parties. According to Nazaryan, they are also avid Snapchatters, posting selfies of their every move. “I was kind of surprised, given how conservative the culture can be, to see the younger generation going out, dating, and using social media,” Nazaryan said. “In Somali culture, it’s really important to be connected and communicate with each other.”

But earlier this year, the community garnered headlines after a handful of Somali-American men were accused of planning to join ISIS. Three have plead guilty, despite intense efforts from local leaders to counter extremism.

"People only pay attention to them when there are these anomalous cases," Nazaryan said."I think it is worth looking at how this community lives, because they’ve also come as refugees from a country that continues to be torn apart by Islamic extremism — and have been both benefactors of our generosity and victims of our suspicion."

On a summer afternoon with his friends, Abdikadir Hassan (far left) and Somali friends who are visiting from Columbus, Ohio, and Kitchener, Canada, go water tubing on White Bear Lake, one of the many lakes around Minneapolis.#

Two girls use their lunch break to study at Lincoln International High School in Minneapolis. Somali parents are attracted to charter schools like Lincoln, where most students are Somali, because they feel it will help their kids preserve their culture.#

Two children help a woman with her elaborate costume, designed with the colors of the Somali flag, in preparation for the annual Somali Independence Day Parade. This year the event was hosted by the Somali-run nonprofit Ka Joog which focuses on youth outreach programs.#

Graduating senior Mahamed Ahmed leaves at the end of the Lincoln International High School commencement ceremony. Lincoln is one of a number of charter schools in Minneapolis with a predominantly Somali student body.#

Lincoln International High School students attend practice for their school soccer team, after school. Somalis are passionate soccer fans, holding regular pickup games and tournaments throughout the summer in Minneapolis.#

Saciido Shaie, who was a child in Somalia when civil war broke out, stayed in a refugee camp before moving to America and gaining citizenship here. She and her husband are currently raising three children in Minneapolis.#

On Eid al-Fitr, a major Muslim holiday that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, thousands of Somalis gathered to pray at the Minneapolis Convention Center. During Ramadan, Muslims cannot eat until sundown, which is especially hard in the Minneapolis summer, because the sun does not set until after 9pm.#

Fartun Mahamoud Abdi looks at herself in the mirror of her friend's convertible. Ms. Abdi sits on the controversial Countering Violent Extremism committee, which is a government-backed initiative meant to keep youth away from both radicalization and street crime through after-school outreach programs.#

Children burst into the office of Fartun Mahamoud Abdi, who directs one of the many Somali-oriented day care centers in Minneapolis. While Somali culture is deeply conservative with respect to gender roles, attitudes towards women taking leadership roles in business and politics have liberalized since many Somalis have moved to the United States.#

Debbie Mariana (left) and Yasmin Mohamud (right) help Sharon Albee prepare an Iftar dinner she and her husband, Robert, hosted at their house. The dinner was attended by dozens of members from the community to break the fast at sundown, during Ramadan.#

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